Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch discusses balancing a $3.2 billion budget deficit, the implications of Trump’s presidency for Illinois, and his journey as the first Black speaker in state history (Photos Courtesy of Democrats for the Illinois House).
When Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch delivered his inaugural address for the 104th General Assembly, he cited a passage from the Bible that could very well speak to what’s at stake for Illinois.
“But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict,” which comes from Luke 21:14-15, which he shared in his address.
Indeed, as the Illinois General Assembly recently began its Spring session, the body faces sobering challenges like a $3.2 billion budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year and reports of tension among the state’s Democratic caucus over a controversial hemp bill that Gov. JB Pritzker supported that never made it to the House floor.
That’s not to mention what a second Donald Trump presidency means for Illinois and Chicago. In a tone tinged with political retribution, the Republican president has threatened to cut off federal dollars to overwhelmingly Democratic states like Illinois and sanctuary cities like Chicago. In December, Trump’s border czar warned that Chicago would be “ground zero” for mass deportations.
It’s why, during the closing of his address, Welch exhorted his colleagues to come together for this “political moment,” stating, “The paths we’ve taken, the experiences that have shaped us, and the communities that have given us this moment show that diversity is our strength. The urgency of this moment shows that unity is our power.”
Welch, who has begun his fourth year as Illinois House Speaker, recently met with Chicago Defender Managing Editor Tacuma Roeback to discuss the upcoming state budget, his relationship with Gov. Pritzker, and the looming threat of Trump’s presidency.
Welch, who also represents Illinois’ District 7, touched on his journey from growing up in “The Woods”—that’s Maywood and Bellwood—to becoming the first Black person to serve as Illinois House Speaker, one of the most influential political offices in the state.
Tacuma Roeback: When you were at Proviso West back in the day, did you ever imagine you would be in your fourth year as the Illinois House Speaker? Did you ever see yourself in this position?
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch: Tacuma, I never saw myself in this role. It was not on my bingo card, so to speak. There were a lot of things I thought I would do, but Speaker of the House was definitely not one of them. Several colleagues saw it before I did and convinced me to take on this role four years ago. Looking back now, it’s been the honor of a lifetime and the best job I’ve ever had.
Roeback: When did it crystallize for you that you wanted to enter politics?
House Speaker Welch: Politics and the speakership are two different questions. I ran for Proviso Township High School District 209 School Board in April of 2001 and thought I was getting involved to do something good for my community—give back to a school I graduated from. Little did I know I was signing up for politics. I was knee-deep in politics at that point and spent 12 years on that school board, 10 of those years as the board president. Little did I know that was preparing me for this role today. Proviso truly prepared me extremely well for exactly what I’m doing today.
Budget Priorities and Challenges
Roeback: The state is facing a $3.2 billion budget gap. Considering the priorities of the people you represent, how will you address this shortfall and prioritize the needs of Illinois residents?
House Speaker Welch: Every year that I’ve been speaker, every single year, we have balanced the budget. In some of those years, we’ve had some very grim forecasts, just like we do now. We still managed to produce budgets with surpluses, make additional payments to pension obligations, and receive nine credit upgrades.
We’ll be taking the same approach we’ve used the last four years: to go line by line through the budget. We’re going to weigh priorities. We will ask every caucus member to do a confidential survey. In that way they are going to give me honesty in their answers, and we’re able to determine as a caucus what our priorities are when we put all those surveys together. We’re going to continue to make smart decisions for our future because that’s really important for us to do.
Even before we put the survey out to the members and get any answers back, we will focus on the financial challenges families wrestle with around their kitchen tables. We will focus on expanding opportunities for education, career, training and the skilled trades. We’re going to get this done, and we’re going to pass another balanced budget that’s compassionate and responsible in my fifth-year speaker.
Roeback: What are your personal priorities this session?
House Speaker Welch: Well, for me, who is just a kid from “The Woods,” Maywood and Bellwood, I’m where I’m at today because of educational opportunities.
Our number one priority of the legislature is to get this budget right. That’s our moral document; that’s our compass. That’s the thing that’s going to dictate whether this session is a success or failure.
I want to make sure we get the budget right, particularly when it comes to education. We’ve got to help our schools all across the state of Illinois. If we want to continue helping people manage these outrageous property tax bills, we have to do our part to fund these schools properly.
We have to be able to ensure that there are some career training opportunities and skilled trade opportunities within that budget. I’d like to see more opportunities for Black and Brown people in these skilled trades because they make great money. There are some things we can do within our budget space to help lead to that.
Roeback: There seems to be the thinking that another property tax hike here in the city is inevitable and that more taxes down the road are the only pathway to generating more revenue. What do you say to those officials who believe this is the only way that we can address these shortfalls?
House Speaker Welch: Whether we’re statewide elected officials or local elected officials, we have to be mindful of what’s going on around the kitchen table. We have to be mindful of what happened in November. The guy was elected president with all the issues he has.
When you listen to voters express why they were frustrated, they were frustrated with the cost of eggs. They were frustrated with rent and groceries. The last thing people want us talking about as elected officials is more taxes.
We owe it to them to go through our budgets line by line and try to find efficiencies. We have to try our best to show voters that we’re doing everything we possibly can. The last thing they want to talk about is taxes, especially when a carton of eggs costs 6.99 right now. That’s just crazy.
We want to show the voters that we care.
Balancing Chicago and Statewide Needs
Roeback: A report quoted you as saying that many people, especially the mayor of Chicago, should expect to hear “no” from Springfield. I wanted to ask you about that and how your caucus views what’s going on with Chicago, the state of the school board and the Chicago Teachers Union contract.
House Speaker Welch: Well Tacuma, that’s a lot in one question. Let me say this. First and foremost, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget did give us another grim forecast. That’s their job. They say we have a $3.1 billion—billion with a ‘B’—projected deficit going into this budget making season. So, my message to my great friend, the mayor of Chicago, and the mayors all across this state is that they have to come to us with realistic expectations.
We don’t have the federal dollars that we’ve had the last four years. We called it ARPA money (emergency funds from the American Rescue Plan Act) or COVID funds. Those dollars have dried up, and we’re facing some issues we haven’t faced in quite a few years.
The city of Chicago is the economic engine of the state, and as Speaker of the House, I represent the whole state. I want the mayor to have victories out of Springfield. In order to do that, we need to get a wish list from the mayor, hopefully, sooner than later, and sit down and figure out what we can do realistically and what’s not possible. That’s just how the legislative process works.
And what do people think of what’s going on in Chicago? We’re so focused on what we do in our space, it really is two different environments. We’re so locked in and focused on what’s happening in Springfield.
I just know the mayor has a big job to do, and I wish my brother well.
Roeback: What have you learned about balancing the needs of Chicago versus the rest of the state?
House Speaker Welch: We’ve done a very good job at the caucus of doing that, and the reason we’re able to do that is because our caucus, which is a record 78-member super majority, is extremely diverse. Our caucus looks like Illinois.
We have multiple layers on how to produce a budget, whether through small workgroup conversations, committees or conversations we have in caucuses. A lot goes into making a budget before it’s actually put on the board and voted on. We touch upon every area of the state, and you get a whole lot of different opinions. When you go through the processes that we’re able to go through, you come up with a product that takes care of the entire state.
Legislative Relationships and the Hemp Bill
Roeback: What’s the state of your relationship with Gov. Pritzker in light of the holdup over the hemp bill?
House Speaker Welch: My relationship with the governor today is the same as it was before the Hemp Bill. The governor is a friend of mine. We’re colleagues. We both love the state of Illinois. We landed some big victories for the state in my four years as speaker, and we’re going to land more big victories. He has a job to do as governor. I have a job to do as speaker of the house. I respect his job. He’s got to respect mine. But with regard to our relationship, he’s still a friend of mine today like he was yesterday.
Roeback: What’s the pathway to addressing the hemp issue?
House Speaker Welch: That particular bill (HB5903) died when the 103rd General Assembly adjourned. This issue is not going to go away. It’s going to continue to be debated and negotiated and debated and negotiated some more. It’s extremely important on issues like these that we take our time and get it right. With regard to hemp regulation, we have an industry that has Black and Brown people heavily involved in it right now. The bill that was proposed would basically shut those folks down and turn the business over to the cannabis operators, who have not done social equity very well.
A lot of small business owners would have been hurt by the bill that was there. There’s a way to get this done because everyone agrees that regulation of this product is needed.
I don’t know anyone who disagrees with that idea, but we have got to do it right and make sure the policy helps people, not hurts people.
President Trump and Future Challenges
Roeback: Can you talk about how your caucus and colleagues are preparing for this new presidential administration?
House Speaker Welch: After he was elected in November, we had a lot of conversations during veto session. We had a lot of conversations after the veto session. Going into the lame duck session, we took a deep dive. We looked at the things that are already on the books. One of the things we already learned here is that in Illinois, Democrats took Trump at his word when he said he would overturn Roe versus Wade and turn the power of the state against immigrant communities.
We responded with strong protections that strengthened relationships between immigrant communities and police and guaranteed the right to choose in Illinois, no matter who’s in Washington. And so we’re already “Trump proofed,” so to speak.
But what we’re going to do is stay vigilant.
We’re going to make sure we use the power we have to continue to respect the values of Illinoisans. Our priorities are going to remain the same no matter who’s in the White House.
We want to make sure modest-income and middle-class families have the ability to get ahead. We want to make sure that our fundamental rights are sacrosanct. I’m concerned about that with Trump going into office because of all the far-right wingers he’s surrounded himself with. So here in Illinois, we have to continue to stay vigilant and ready and be responsive.
Roeback: With there being talk of diminished federal support looming for states like Illinois, how do you anticipate dealing with those challenges?
House Speaker Welch: First and foremost we have to hope that President Trump takes the oath of office, and he takes the oath seriously, that he’s president for the entire United States of America, and not just some.
The facts actually show that when he was elected president In November ’24, it was one of the closest presidential elections in modern history. He won it with less than 50% of the vote.
So, you would hope that once he gets in, he lowers the rhetoric and governs the entire country. There are Republicans in Congress from Illinois, and I would hope that they would advocate for him not targeting and punishing their state.
Those are the things we have to hope for. But we also have to hope for the best and plan for the worst, and that’s what responsible budgeting will do for us.
We can’t spend money that we don’t have. We have to be responsible and compassionate with what we’ve got.